


The Odds of a Proper Goodbye

by Snoezibol



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Crying, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grieve, M/M, Positive ending, this is a bit sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 05:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snoezibol/pseuds/Snoezibol
Summary: After Archimedes passes away, Medic has absolutely no way with himself.





	The Odds of a Proper Goodbye

Medic hadn't been expecting this, hadn't been counting on something like this to happen, but it had and it had the German so utterly detached from everything for the rest of the day.

 

 

It was a dreadful way to start his day, standing at Archimedes cage to, originally, greet and feed him only to find his best friend lying limp at the bottom of the cage, eyes closed and sadly, and _very_ suddenly, passed away.

 

 

It had caught Medic so off guard, hitting him like a hard punch in the chest, which the indent of it only felt like a void he knew he wouldn't be able to fill. Archimedes had been at his side for so long, how could that just suddenly change? There was no way his little friend could just be ripped from him like that, it's simply not fair! Medic had grown so fond of Archimedes, that dove had been at his side for too long to just be able to let him go.

 

 

And besides... he hadn't even been able to tell him _goodbye_.

 

 

They're slim, you know, the odds of a proper goodbye and it pained Medic that Archimedes had passed away so suddenly. Yesterday he'd been completely fine or... so it had _seemed_ at least. He couldn't imagine his little critter alone at night, breathing his last breath and tumbling to the bottom of his cage like it wasn't a mayor thing, as if Archimedes' heart hadn't just stopped beating and the dove hadn't suddenly ceased to exist within the passing of a single moment.

 

 

It was disheartening, it was painful and it was just so _fucking unfair_. Medic had no way with himself, couldn't even bring himself to clean out the cage and bury Archimedes because that made it all feel too real. He didn't want Archimedes gone, he wanted to hear him whistle and bristle around his cage, wanted him to nest in his scarves or sit on his shoulder or quirk his little head at everything Medic told him, he wanted Archimedes to coo him to sleep like he used to do, wanted Archimedes to run around his desk when he was busy with paperwork, he just... he just wanted Archimedes _back_.

 

 

It was one wish, his _only_ wish and he knew it would never come true.

 

 

He didn't show up for battle that day nor bothered to show his face during dinner, instead opting for sitting himself on a chair by the window, watching the outside work through the day and hope for this all to end. Wishing that it was just a dream was something Medic knew he wasn't lucky enough for, this was very much reality and it fucking sucked to the highest degree a day could suck. He was at rock bottom and honestly, Medic didn't care to get himself back up. He was _miserable_.

 

 

His heart was filled with grieve for his deceased animal, his best friend and all he wanted to do was sit on that same chair and watch the sun paint the sky all day and tomorrow and perhaps even next week.  

 

 

Though Medic's odd behaviour hadn't gone unnoticed, of course. A battle without a Medic shows its results in an overworking respawn system and people wasting more time being dead or injured than that they're actually spending time on winning the battle. Medic was well aware how selfish it was for him to decide to bask in misery rather than helping his team to land another victory, but he wouldn't have been much of a help anyway. He felt like the littlest of brush against his sanity would make him crumble out in one big mess on the floor and that's not how he had wished to spend that day.  

 

 

Sometime that evening, when the sun had stopped beating overhead and made it's descend behind the clouds, Medic heard the door to his room open and close. There was a moment of silence following that until the German heard the shuffling of footsteps over the carpet, the noise coming to a halt one more time before a defeated sigh gave away who exactly had bothered to check up on him and where exactly they were standing.

 

 

Medic didn't move, couldn't bring himself to turn around and explain why there was still a very much _dead_ animal in its cage, because the German knew the moment he had to talk about it, he'd break down completely. So he stayed exactly where he was, waiting for Heavy to label this as something he didn't want to be bothered by and leave so he'd be once again be left alone.

 

 

Though to the doctor's surprise, he never left. But maybe that wasn't entirely a surprise if he had to be honest, it was Heavy after all.

 

 

The footsteps continued, growing louder with every inch he got closer to Medic's chair until they came to a stop _right_ behind him.

 

 

"I see doctor has had hard day." Heavy spoke quietly, the colour of his voice so benign and good - hearted, that alone had Medic wanting to sob. But as he suddenly felt two strong arms enclosing around his chest and a gentle kiss being planted on his shoulder, the German's heart completely exploded, tears now viciously stinging his eyes and clouding his vision. "It is okay, I know you do not like to talk much when you are upset, so you do not have to."

 

 

Medic tried so hard to keep himself collected, bringing up a shaking hand to clear his sight from tears, but all it did was make it worse. He was too distracted with these contrasting feelings of wanting to deal with everything on his own accord or wanting to be comforted and it only made one big mess inside the German, a mess of emotions he usually didn't touch with a ten foot pole.

 

 

But today had just been _so fucking much_ and Medic was tired and defeated and so utterly alone that he allowed himself to lean back into the embrace and be nearly swallowed up by Heavy's hug. He wanted to feel comfort and he wanted to feel warmth. This numbness he'd been experiencing this day with had made him feel so empty, it was as if Heavy was a lifeline to pull him back before it was too late.

 

 

"I... I miss him so much..." Medic found himself muttering in return, tears rolling down his cheeks as the very truth and dire reality of Archimedes passing away finally fully hit him. His little, feathered best friend was dead, gone and it made him ache from top to bottom.

 

 

"I know... and I am very sorry about that. I am sure he is in better place now." Heavy usually wasn't much of a talker, so Medic hadn't expected any big philosophies to come from that gentle giant, but even if it was nothing more than a dead beat line, a safety net to fall back on when you're dealing with someone in grieve, it still meant something to Medic. At least Heavy tried and that's all Medic ever wanted from him.

 

 

And perhaps Heavy was right. There was no harm in thinking Archimedes was indeed in a better place, happily flying about and making those little noises and gestured Medic had loved so dearly. It was a gentle way to settle yourself and there is absolutely nothing telling you otherwise. Medic hoped, he really did, hoped that wherever his tiny friend might be, Archimedes would always watch over him and keep him safe, because he'd been doing that for so many years already... so why stop now?

 

 

' _I love you Archimedes_ ', Medic thought as he brought his hands up to curl around Heavy's arms, somewhat returning the hug. ' _Don't you ever forget that_.'

 

\--

**Author's Note:**

> For everyone who read this and has ever lost a pet they loved with everything they had: I love you and I hope this didn't make you feel like complete shit. Know that I do believe that our pets love us as much as we love them and once their time has come, I also believe that they'll continue to love and protect us until the day we meet again <3


End file.
